Institute for Justice

March 2001, Volume 10, Number 2

March 2001, Volume 10, Number 2

March 2001 Asset Forfeiture Victory By Scott Bullock Carol Thomas—a former Cumberland County deputy sheriff whose own car was seized when her son was caught in a marijuana bust—has her car and her cash back, but she is not ready to give up her fight to overturn New Jersey’s unconstitutional civil forfeiture laws. The Institute…

March 2001 Illinois Appellate Court Upholds Constitutionality of Choice By Matthew Berry In a significant victory for Illinois families as well as for school choice supporters nationwide, the Appellate Court of Illinois for the Fourth Judicial District in a decision issued on February 8 unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the Illinois educational expenses tax credit…

March 2001 Board Chairman Dave Kennedy On IJ’s 10th Anniversary By Dave Kennedy It’s hard to believe it was more than 20 years ago when I first met Chip Mellor, and Clint Bolick only the year following. We all lived out West and became involved with a regional public interest law firm based in Denver,…

March 2001 IJ Scores Opening-Round Victory In New York Eminent Domain Challenge By Marni Soupcoff It’s IJ one, New York bureaucrats zero. On January 18, 2001, the Institute for Justice scored an opening-round victory on behalf of New York property owners when U.S. District Court Judge Harold Baer granted a preliminary injunction against the Village…

When it Comes to Private Property, Governments Take First and Worry About the Constitution Later Under so-called “quick-take” statutes, like the one on the books in Connecticut where IJ is representing property owners whose rights are being violated, the government is permitted to use its power of eminent domain to take private property before the…

March 2001 By Scott Bullock Given the disregard of constitutional rights by so many government officials and their allies, it is pretty difficult to be shocked by the behavior of individuals who think nothing of steamrolling the Constitution in pursuit of their grand schemes. But sometimes the attitude and actions of those in power are…

Jefferson’s quip returned to me as I lay freezing on the dusty floorboards that 20-degree February night: “We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a featherbed.” I listened for the bulldozers I expected to soon stand before, bulldozers sent by the government to destroy a home it didn’t own. …

March 2001 Viva Las Vegas Limos By Deborah Simpson After more than three years of suffering at the hands of the Transportation Services Authority (TSA) and the existing limousine companies, IJ’s independent limousine clients finally had their day in court in a trial challenging Nevada’s limousine licensing scheme. The trial exposed the system for what…

New York City Vans New York commuter van operators fought their latest round in court on February 21, seeking to strike down protectionist laws that keep them from providing the safe, affordable, efficient transportation so desperately needed in their communities. Appearing on their behalves in New York Appellate Court, Chip Mellor (who only four days…

By Patricia H. Lee Filling the Assistant Director position at the IJ Clinic was no easy task. The job requires someone who is not only an attorney, but also a teacher, and someone with a strong commitment to help entrepreneurs overcome the barriers to entry created by our complex legal and regulatory environment. After conducting…